Resilient compound lever.



.W. V. GILBERT. BESILIENT QOMPOUND LEVER. ArPLIuATIoN 1111.31 HEFT. 16, 190s.

Patented Feb. 28, 1911.

wmvfssfs .Ammers W., V. GILBERT. RBSILIENT GOMPOUND LEVER. .1111140111011 FILED 521115, 1909.

Patented 11111.28, 1911.

3 SHEETS-SHEET 2.

" j Arronwfys wf. v. GILBERT. RESILIENTv GOMPOUND LEVER. APPLIGATIN FILED BEPT.15, 1999.

985,755.: Patented Feb. 2s, 1911.

Original application tiled Iune 29, 190B, Serial No. 440,891.

` Serial No. 517,898.

UNITED sTATErs PATENT oFF-TOE.

WALTER VILLA GILBERT, 0F LONDON, ENGLAND.

RESILIENT COMPOUND LEVER.

To all 'whom it may concern.' y

Be it known thatl I, WALTER V. GILBERT, a subject of th'e King of Great Britain and Ireland, and residing in London, in the coun'ty of Middlesex, England, have made" certain new` and use nl Improvements in Resilient Compound vers, of whichy the following is a specication.

This 1s a 'division of .440,891. r 4 4 This invention reiates toresilient com pound levers formed of springnateriaband having opposing members, hereinafter re: ferred to as lever arms, and aback part connecting the leverA arms'and being soconstrncted that when the back part is subjectedy to lateral compression :applied to its ends the. 4said arms are caused to move in another direction, that is to say,V appr-nach each other at their free ends, and w en such part is released from'pressure,.thedevice resumes, or

.springs back to, its normal Vform lor condition. Resilient-devicesv operating in such manner are ,l described-` in Several "Letters Patentl of the United States Vissued lto' me,4

noticeablv in No. ,833,042',"`dated. October 9, A1906, and N .-8,37,217,dated November 2T, 1906, -said devices :.bein'g formed 'by bowing a blank oi resilient sheet metal or other suitable' spring material,"V theextended and op'- posing members constituting -the leverjarms being thus connectedb'ya bowed back which fis transversely-indented so as to produce angularly disposed outwardly tapering components Whose ngle to each other is 'varied v'hen their -a ical ends are subjected to compression, an thus caused to approach each other, which in turn causes the lever armsI to approach each other, the. saidarms resuming their normal open position when. the device is released from such compression.

The present invention has for its objects to enable such devices to be made so that an increased variety'of motions can be given to the lever arms of such devices by appro- 4priate manipulations of -the back part thereof in various directions, to enable the back 'Apart to be made in a variety of shapes some having specific functional value, to enable the back part to be reduced` in size, and to provide devices of the nature specified which willrequi're a lesser power for eiecting their actuation, to the,A end that the utilityy and practical applications of such compgund 'levers may be extended.

Specication of Letters ZPatent.

application Hof `tongs orfor analogous each other.

Patented Feb. 28, 1911. Divided and this application led September To these ends, the invention is characterlized by forming such compound levers with a back part divlded transversely by an opening or slot which also extends well into the lever arms toward their free ends, whereby the back part and the adjacent portions or rear ends of the lever arms have a bifurcated formation, the opposite sides or members of the forkbeing adapted to be pressed together or'v toward each other laterally, while the outer or free end art of each lever arm is left entire or undivided by such openin "or slot.

e improved device may be made in a considerable variety of forms `adapted for various functions, and, by way of example,

is widely fpplicable for various holding devices, some of which are hereinafter de* scribed, and for operating various toy structures, for example, suchas, or resembling,

those Vdescribed in United States Letters 'Patent No. 837,216,and No. 837,217, dated ,November 27, 1906, and No. 846,560, dated Figs. 5 and 6 are side and perspective views of a modified form of the device in which the backpart is reduced in size or in other words in which the rear ends' of the lever arms are not spaced apart but are directly connected being 'flat and pressed against Fig. 7 is a cross section on line. -7-7 of the form shown in Fig. 5. Fig. 8 is a perspective View of another 'modification in which the members coinposing the ,back are' crossed diagonally and are vertically straight. Figs. 9 and 10 are perspective and plan views showing various modilications of the device. Fig. 11 is a longitudinal section on line 11-11 of Fig. 10, and Fig. l2 is a plan view of the blank from which the form shown in Fig. 10 is made. Fig. 13 is a perspectiveview of 4the device in connection with a barthat may be employed for guiding the compressible members of the fork and'also for supporting the device in any desired position.

'which 'the said device is formed.

of sugar, pickles or various lother articles,

and which may be madeon a small scale as indicated in Fig. 3,-or upon a large scale, as

conditions may require. ,The lever arms a are provided. exteriorly with a rib or convexity a the same extending longitudinally from the slot a?. to the claws a5.

'This arrangement o the ribs or convexities a.s assists to induce the closing of the devicevwhen lateral pressure is applied to the lugs or ears ain direction of the arrows, Fig. 2, the toothed .jaws or claws a5 beingthus caused to approach each other so as to seize and hold anobject between them, as illustrated in Fig. 3.' The rib beingA raised away Vfrom the inner side Vof the lever arms, they are necessarily concave toward4 each 'otherxon said inner s ide.- Each of thejback .forked members, which in this case are curved, is provided on the outer side .with a lug or-ear at lugs or ears proiect backward and -stad'nearlyparallel andserve as points for application of the lateral comlpressi'on `by means of thumb and iin er. Tiedirection in which pressure is app 'ed is indicated by arrows in Fig. 2, and the effect is to .cause4 the lever arms a. to close together .as shown -in Fig. 3, but when the pressureis released they will obvioiisly open apart or resume their normal position shown' in Fig. 1, -by reason of the ,resiliency of the device. -The 'closing together of the lever'arms when pressure is applied at the back of the device in direction and manner aforesaid is due mainly to the rib as in the leve'r arms, or, in other words, to their concavity toward each other. Fig. 4 illustrates the blank from which the described device is formed, the blank being preferablyA a piece of thin spring sheet metal, but it will be understood that I do not propose to restricbmyself -to a particular material.

Figs. 5 to 7 inclusive, illustrate another form B of th'e device, the lever arms b diverging from the back part Z1' and, instead ,of being bowed, the biurcated rear ends of in the c asc of form A.' The functional value of forming thedevice with thc back part-s thereof reduced in size in this manner is that such construction enables the device to bc readily insertedV and secured in or to handles of small cross sectional dimensions.

In Fig. 8 I illustrate still another form C of the device, inwhch the back is composed of the separated or forked portions c crossing each other dia onally and is made.

strai ht vertically.. y applying compression aterally, the lever arms will be caused to approach each other as in the forms A, B,

tend farther into one lever arm than the other as shown in f orm D, Fig. 9, by which the arm havingthe longer slot has a wider radius of action under actuation of the device. Where, say, the back is of thin material, the inner mid parts of the back members may be provided-with lugs c or the'like, as shown inform E Figs. 10, 11 and 12, in

order toprevent the back members folding-l` one under or within the other, or to keep them spaced at a desired distance apart, or

in-otherwords to act as a brake.

In Fig. 13, form F, I show aguide bar f passing throu h the lugs or ears. This holds lthebifurcatev. back members in alinement lwhen compressed. "Ihe'bar can also be made polygonal or else oval incross section, in

order to hold the device horizontal or in any other position, or in brief prevent rotation. It is' thus distinguished from the rod which connects the ends of the bowed back of the device covered by my foundation Patent No. 833,042, which rod serves to limit the movements of the backmembers from each other and cannot prevent rotary movement of the device. Fig. 14 shows the'blank from which the device shown in Fig. 13 is made.

The device may' not only be made integral but may also be constructed of a nnmber'o'f piegs suitably connected together as shown in 1g. 15. In this form of construction G, as inthe form shown in Fig. 5, the `back part g is differently formed, in that, the ,rear

'ends of the lever arms instead of being intervened, or in other words spaced apart from 4each other, llie close together or else The :form H shown Fig. 16 is constructforms already described, itbeing adapted'to be closed when lateral pressure is applied to' -ed on the same general principle as the 1 :and also to be made in a variety of'diterent eiplo of a prisnig eoticaved lere-r arms arranged oppo .site cach other the free ends 'of which are the back part h. The back of this device, like t'he device shown in Fig. 8, is straight vertically, instead of being curved as in Figs. lto B.- The lever arms are ribbed longitudinally to a very slight degree, since l with the slet extended and the back also exl tended vertically, as shown, it is practicable l to cause the free ends of the arms to close i by lateral pressure applied to the back 7i, l when there is but a slight predetcrmining i inclination of the sides of the lever arms toward'thc longitudinal midparts thereof.l t From the foregoingr description and the t illustrations,.it isapparent that the iin-E proved device may be modified in various l ways, to adapt it to particular uses; also that the operation of the device may be..confined to a given field of action, as for example in Figa-13. l

The extended slot er bifurcation with which the various forms of the device illus trated -in the present case are provided, is functionally distinguished from the holes shown in the backs ot' my aforesaid patents` g which do not-.merge oi :it least but reiv slightly into the lever arms, Vtheir tum-,tion being to prevent the otherwise imavoidible cracking, and radiation of cracks, .from the 1 ends of the indent in the back alongthe lines i ofjf'iinture between the back proper and the 5 wings or lever arms. Secondarily. such holes enable the indent 0E the back'to be i formed less angular so that it is less liable i to crack in bending when the device is in course of formation or under actuation.

. The slot or slots in the present invention enable the back part to be reduced in size 1. A. resilient device embodying the princompound-lever, tlic saine comspacetl-well apart and a back part. which eoniiectssaid arms,'tlie back part beingprovided with a slot or opening that extends l well into 4the said arnis thus' 'dividing vthe l i upon the loops.

back part into twolaterally opposed members 'which are free to be pressed inward teward each other whereupon the free ends ot' `the lever armswill move toward each other,

substantially as shown and described.

2. A resilient device embodying the prin ciple of a compound lever, the saine compris ing lever arms arranged oppositeeach other and a back part which connects them and is provided with a slot or opening that extends ivell into the said arms, the latter having eaeli a central longitudinal rib located between the ends of the slot and free end of the arm the ribsl being concave toward cai-li other, substantially as shown and described.

3. resilient device embodyinpr the principle ot a compound lei-er, the same cbmpris in;P lever arms arranged opposite each otherand a back 'part which connects them and is provided with a slot or opening that extends well into the said arms, the latter hai/ingr a longitudinal rib that' extends from .said slot toward a point' near the l'ree end o'l the :ii-ins thi` ribs being; concave toward each other. substantially as shown and described.

4. ln :i (le-vice of the character described. the combination of an arched body comprising longitudinally dispoanl iiit'erspared loops, arms into which the loops merge, engaging members upon the arms, and ears Tn a device ot the character described. the combination of an arched body comprise ing; longitudinally disposed loops, arms into which the loops merge, engagingr members upon the arms, and vertical cars upon the lateral edgesI of the loops.

(i. In a device of the character described an arched body comprisdisposed interspaced the combination of ing l'longitudinally loops, arms concave convex into which the loops merge, engaging members upon the free ends of thc arms, and ears upon the loops.

lVA'li'lllR VILLA (lllililllt' 1Witnesses 'linNIiAiio BnAeii'ii, Joint BEER.

in` cross section. 

